Top pick: #5 (ROMANS PARADISE) (3-1) - Gelding rallied to finish third here at this tag on Aug. 1. It was a positive effort, his first race since June 11th and his trainer (George Weaver) has had an outstanding meet. Can take this with a small step forward.
2nd pick: #9 (Retire Fifty Five) (9-5) - The probable favorite, he just missed here at this level on August 1st. It was a career best overall and this gelding has improved noticeably since switching to the turf. Only knock is that he's had a series of fine inside post and moves way out in the gate this afternoon. Win candidate despite that fact.
3rd pick: #6 (Morse) (6-1) - Lightly-raced and speedy, he set a solid pace and weakened here in the same last race as both "Roman's Paradise" and "Retire Fifty Five." It was his first off a claim, and gelding by "Tapit" has worked well since.
4th pick: #3 (Carson's Ten) (15-1) - Longshot ships up from Monmouth where he raced wide and evenly last out facing tougher. He was competitive in his only other start in a claimer and he could grab a share at a big price.
5th pick: #1 (Eight Cents) (10-1) - Longtime maiden will be stretching out in distance and switching from dirt to turf. One-paced type draws the rail and can factor if he takes to the new footing.